Shutter thermostat



Nov. 14, 1933. 1 v G|E5LER 1,935,118

SHUTTER THERMOSTAT Filed April 27. 1931 Y lli/@'12,

Q so atented Nov. 14, 1933 Y SHUTTER THERMOSTAT Jean V. Giesler,Knoxville, Tenn., assignorto The Fulton Sylphon Company, Knoxville,Tenn., a corporation of'Delaware Applicationl April 27, 1931. Serial No.533,273

15 claims.y (o1. 236-35) This invention relates to apparatus forregulat- Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the thering thetemperature of the medium used in the mostatic motor shown in Fig. 1;and cooling system of an internal combustion engine. A Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view of a modified Regulating apparatus hasheretofore been used form of the thermostatic motor shown in Fig. 1. tocontrol the temperature of the circulated Referring to Fig. 1 of thedrawing'where the 50 medium in the cooling system of an automobileembodiment of the invention. selected for illusengine in whichathermostat actuates mechanism Atration includes an automobile radiator 5of the such as shutters or valves for varying the effect usual type inwhich an upper header 6 and a of the cooling system. To insuredependable lower header 7 are connected by means of tubes operation ofsuch regulators the controlling 8. The radiator 5 is adapted to beconnected65 mechanism should respond accurately to variawith theremainderof the cooling system of the tions 'in the temperature of `theengine, and engine inthe usual manner by means of aconduit variousschemes have heretofore been proposedv 10 between the upper header 6 andthe top for obtaining the desired results. of the engine cooling 'jacket(not shown), and a One of lthe objects of the present invention isconduit 1l extending between the lower header 7 70' to provide a novelregulating apparatus which `and the lower end of the engine water jacketor may be added as a unit to any automobile engine pump Y(not shown).With this construction' the and which will be actuated in accordancewith Cooling medium is oirculatedvfr'om the lower the changes in theltemperature of the engine header 7 through conduit v11 and the engineto control the temperature of the medium in the jacket to the upperconduit 10 and into the header 75 cooling system; f 6 and then bygravity the medium returns through Another object of the presentinvention is to the tubes 8 to the lower header'l and is cooled provideanovel thermostat motor for a regulating by the flow of airv between thetubes; a filler hole apparatus adapted to control the temperature 12 andradiator cap 1 3 being provided foraddof themedium in a cooling systemof an internal ing a cooling medium such as water when neces- 480combustion engine, and which is adapted to opersary. l ate promptly`after the engine stops. At the front of the radiator a hood is providedAnother object of the present invention is to which may be attached tothe' radiator by any provide a novel apparatus vfor regulating thesuitable means. This hood has a stationary part temperature of themedium used in the cooling 14 in the form of a frame surrounding anapar-85 system of an automobile engine in which a relature ofapproximately the total area of the radiatively small part of thecooling medium is passed tor, and'moving parts in the form of shutters15 through a thermostat to aotuate the control adapted to overlap andentirely close the apermechanism in accordance with the actual temtureformed in theframe 14 and which are piv-U perature of the coolingmedium. oted at their ends in the frame 14 by meansv of '90 'Anotherobject ofthe present invention is to pins 16. The shutters 15 may bemoved about provide a novel temperature regulator for the their pivot 16for varying the effective area of the Vcooling system of an automobileengine which radiator in any suitable way, and to this end,

lis compact, simple, economical of manufacture arms 1'7 are provided oneach shutter which in and efficient for the purpose'intended. turn arepivotally connected to a bar 18, extend- 95 'These and other objectswill be more apparent ing .the entire length of the hood, by means offrom the following description and the drawing pins 19. YVA bell crankis provided for moving the in which like reference characters denotelike bar 18 and varying the position of the shutters 15.

parts throughout the several views. It is to be This bell crank ispivoted as at 20 toa stationary expressly understood, however, that thedrawing support 21 andhas an arm 22 provided with a 100 is for 4thepurpose of illustration only and is not slot 23 engaging a pin 24 on thebar 1 8, the slot a deiinition of the limits of the invention, refer- 23allowing relative lateral movement between ence being had for thispurpose to the appended the pin 24 and arm 22. The other arm 25 of theclaims. vbell crank is pivotally connected to one end of' In thedrawing: a link 26 which is fixed at its other endrto a 105' t Fig. 1 isa side elevational view of an automothermostatv 27. l l bile radiatorpartly in section showing thermo- This thermostat as more clearly shownin Fig.k statically operated regulating apparatusy incor- 2 is of thetype in which an expansible and conporating the novel features of thepresentinventractible bellows is actuated by a thermosensitive x tion; liiuid. The stationary part of this thermostat 110' consists of a shellor frame 28 suitably apertured to provide circulation of air andsupported on part of the rigid structure such as the radiator itself, byany suitable means, legs 29 being shown with apertures for receivingbolts, screws, rivets, or the like. Within the shell 28 the bellows 30is positioned with a head 3l rigidly attached to the shell, as by meansof a plug 32 having a screw threaded engagement with the frame 28 andsealed to the head 3l in any suitable manner such as soldering orwelding, the plug having a bore 33 for charging the bellows with athermosensitive uid. A movable head 34 is sealed at its outer peripheryto the other end of the bellows 30 and as shown has a block 35 xed atits center by a screw threaded engagement and suitable sealing means.This block 35 is bored and tapped to receive the threaded end 36 of theactuating link 26. y

The thermostat is actuated in accordance with the actual temperature ofthe cooling medium, even though remote from the conduits of the coolingsystem, by means of a bleeder tube eX- tending into heat exchangingrelation with the bellows for circulating a part of the cooling medium`into heat exchanging relation with the thermosensitive fluid therein. Asillustrated this bleeder tube has an inlet branch 37 which enters thebellows through the shell 28 and head 3l, a coiled par't`38 within thechamber formed by the bellows to give the proper heating surface, and anoutlet branch 39 leaving the bellows through the head 31 and shell 28.The branch 37 entering the bellows extends from the shell 8l into thecouplingconduit 10 ofk the cooling system and has a v-belled end 40positioned in the path of ilow of the cooling medium. The return branch39 of the bleeder tube also extends into the coupling cond uit 10 andhas its end pointed in the opposite directionfrom the end 40. With thisconstruc- 'tion the medium in the cooling system as it flows from theengine jacket in passing from the engine to the radiator will enter thebell shaped end 40 and due to its velocity head will force the columnofthe medium within the bleeder tube through *the coil andoutlet branch39, the end 41 being so positioned in the fluid flow as to increase theeffect of circulation. The thermosensitive fluid within the bellows willthus be subjected to the same temperature as the cooling medium and beinfluenced in' accordance with the changes in temperature of the engine.

The operation is as follows: At the time of starting'the automobile, theengine will be cold, and the' thermosensitive uid condensed, the bellowsretracted and the shutters 15 closed. Upon starting the engine themedium in the cooling system will be circulated from'the lower header 7through the conduit 11, water jacket of the engine, upper conduit 10 tothe upper header 6,

the' medium then returning by gravity through the tubes 9 to the lowerheader '7. As, the engine continues running, the temperature of thecooling medium will be increased until such time as the temperature ofthe cooling medium vaporizes the thermosensitive fluid in the bellows30m its circulation through the bleeder tube 37, 38- and 39. Atthis timethe bellows will be expanded and the head 34 and link 26 moved to theleft asviewed in the drawing, which through the bell crank, will actuatethe arm 18 to open the shutters` l5 and allow a circulation of airthrough the radiator. As the temperatureof the engine is effected bythetemperature of the water entering theengine jacket, and as thethermostat is directly dependent in its operation upon the temperatureof the cooling medium leaving the engine jacket, the effective area ofthe radiator is so controlled as to tend to maintain the temperature ofthe engine substantially constant at all times.

Also with this construction the bleeder tube circulates only a smallpart of the total body of cooling medium through the thermosensitivefluid, and as the circulation through the bleeder tube stops with theengine, it dissipates its heat long before the main body of coolingmedium, whereby the shutters are closed. This feature is not onlyadvantageous in the structure illustrated for holding the engine at ahigh temperature for longer periods than is possible when thethermostat'is subjected to the main body of the cooling medium, but isalso adaptable for -use with other structures in maintaining the hot asin Fig. 2 has a tubular corrugated wall to providey the necessaryflexibility and is vclosed at its inner end by a rigid head 48 having ablock 49 at its outer side bored and tapped to'receive the end 36 of thelink 26. The open andouter end ofthebellows 50'is sealed to the v wallof the shell 45kadjace`nt its open end as by means of a ring 51. In thiscup-type thermostat the head 48 of the bellows constitutes a movablewall for the sealed chamber which is subjected to the pressure of thethermosensitive fluid. wall of the shell a port 52 is provided thelateral for charging the chamber with the thermosensi-` tive iiuid andis adapted to be sealed by suitable f means held thereinas by solderingor welding. In this construction the inlet branch 37 ofthe bleeder tubeextends throughthe head 46 of the:V

shell and is tightly sealed therein, the tube being coiled within thechamber in the same manneras described in thestructure of Fig. 2 witht'he` i'.

outlet branch 39 extending out through the head 46 and sealed thereto.This bleeder tubeas in ligs.y l and Z'is adapted to circulate thecooling medium through the thermosensiti've iluidffor subjecting thesame to` a temperature in accordance with the temperature of the`engine. The

operation of the regulating apparatusy with this type of thermostat istheV same as'tha't' described with respect to the thermostat rshown inFig. It will now be readily apparent that 'anoyel regulating apparatusvhas been provided in a unit which Amay be easily and quickly attached toany.

standard type of automobile radiator, without necessitating anystructural changesI or additional equipment `to the engine itself.Further,` it will be seen that this regulator unit maybe actuated inaccordance with the actual temperature of the cooling medium in apositive and. efficient part of` thev manner due to the'circulation of acooling medium through the thermosensitive fluid. Still further. it willbel apparen'tfthat a novel regulator unit has been provided which iscompact, simple and economical of manufacture. A

inner cylindrical It will'also be obvious that the invention is:

gas

not limited to thespeciiic forms described'and illustrated in thedrawing but'is capable lof -a variety of mechanical embodiments. stance,the invention in its broader aspects may employ any other suitablemeans'for'varying the effect of the cooling'system in place of theshutters, as for example a valve in the cooling system; other suitableforms of heat exchanger for circulating the cooling medium through lthethermosensitive fluid may be employed; also the thermostat may beprovided if desired, with a spring Yopposing expansion thereof, etc.Various other changes, which rwill now appear tothose skilled in the`art, may be made in the form, details of construction and arrangement ofparts-without departing from the spirit of the invention, and referenceis therefore to be had to the appended claims for a definition of thelimits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automobile, in combination with an internal combustion engine,a cooling system for said engine including a radiator, and shutters forvarying the effective area of said radiator, a

'thermostat for automatically actuating said shutters and comprising anexpansible medium, and a bleeder tube in said cooling system andextending into said medium for subjecting the thermostat to thetemperature of the cooling medium in the system.

2. In an automobile, in combination with an internal combustion engine,a cooling system for said engine, and means for varying the effect ofsaid cooling system, a thermostat for automatically actuating said meansand including a thermosensitive medium, and a bleeder tube extendingfrom said cooling system into the thermostat for subjecting thethermosensitive medium of said thermostat to the temperature of thecooling 'medium in the system.

3. In an automobile, in combination with an internal combustion engine,a cooling system for said engine, and means for varying the effect ofsaid cooling system, a thermostat including an expansible andcollapsible chamber mounted outside of said cooling system forautomatically actuating said means, and a bleeder tube extending fromsaid cooling system and coiled within said thermostat chamber forsubjecting the thermostat to the temperature of the cooling medium inthe system.

4. In an automobile, in combination with an internal combustion engine',a cooling system for said engine including a radiator, and shutters lforvarying the effective area of said radiator and including a chamber fora thermosensitive fiuid, a thermostat for automatically actuating saidshutters, a bleeder tube Within said chamber of the thermostat, andmeans for circulating the cooling medium of said system through saidtube.

5. In an automobile, in combination with an internal combustion engine,a cooling system for said engine including a radiator, and shutters forvarying the effective area of said radiator, a

4and into said fluid i'or subjecting vthe thermosensitive uid to thetemperature of the circulating system.

6. In an automobile, in combination with an internal combustion engine,a cooling system for f said engine, and means for varying the eleot ofFor in-" tractiblev and expansible bellowsA confining a thermosensitiveliuid, a bleeder tube within said fluid, and means connecting saidbleeder tubewith saidcirculating system whereby the thermostatwillbe-subjected to the temperature of the cooling medium in the system.

7. In combination with an internal combustion engine, va cooling systemfor said engine, and means for varying the effect of said coolingsystem, a thermostat including an expansible and collapsible membermounted outside of said cooling system for automatically actuating saidmeans and means for Yactuating the thermostat from the temperature ofthe cooling medium by circulating into the interior of said expansibleand collapsible member a relatively small fraction of the medium in themain cooling system.

8. In an automobile, in combination with an internal combustion engine,a cooling'system for said engine including a radiator, and shutters forvarying the effective area of said radiator, operating means for saidshutters, a thermostat for automatically actuating said operating means,said thermostat comprising a frame attached to `said radiator and anexpansible and contractible said bellows and immersed in said fluid forcirculating the cooling medium in heat exchanging relation with saidthermosensitive fluid;

10. A thermostat for regulating the temperature of the cooling medium ina circulating system comprising an expansible and contractible bellowsconning a thermosensitive iluid, and av bleeder tube coiled within saidfluid and adapted to circulate the cooling medium vfrom said systemthrough the thermosensitive uid.

11. A thermostat for regulating the temperature of the cooling medium ina circulating system of an automobile comprising an expansible andcontractible bellows containing a thermosensitive fluid, said bellowshaving a stationary head and a movablev head for actuating a controllingmechanism, and a bleeder tube extending through said stationary head andwithin said bellows for circulating the cooling medium through saidthermosensitive fluid.

12. A thermostat for regulating the temperature of the cooling medium ina circulating system of an automobile, comprising a closed chambercontaining a thermosensitive fluid, said chamber having a rigid outerwall and a collapsible and extensible inner wall, and a bleeder tubeextending through said outer wall and into said cham- .ber forcirculating the cooling medium through said thermosensitive fluid.

13. A thermostat for regulating the temperature of the cooling medium ofa circulating system i.

of an automobile comprising a chamber containing a thermosensitive fluidand having a cylindrical shell closed at one end and a'collapsible andextensible bellows within the shell having a movable head atone end andconnected at the llo'ti.

other end to the inner Wall of the shell, and a bleeder tube extendingthrough the head of said shell and said chamber and adapted to circulatethe cooling medium through the thermosensitive fluid.

14. In combination with an internal combusf. tion engine and a coolingsystem therefor, means for varying the cooling effect of said system, athermostat mounted outside of said cooling system for actuating saidmeans and including an expansible and collapsible chamber containing athermosensitive fluid, and a bleeder tube communicating with saidcooling system and extending into said chamber and immersed in thethermosensitive fluid Within said thermostat.

JEAN V. GIESLER.

